In wheelborne large-caliber weapons, for example field howitzers, and in tracked large-caliber weapons, MBTs, it is previously known to carry out firing with split ammunition which consists of projectiles and their associated charges/cartridges. The prior-art loading devices may be regarded as mechanical aids for the loading function. Each respective projectile is applied by means of a loading platform and the like to a pivoting loading bridge which is swung in to the axis of the bore of the weapon. The cartridge or cartridges are similarly inserted in the axis of the bore of the weapon and the entire unit is rammed home using a rammer. The prior-art loading procedures have hitherto required the participation of members of the gun crew in different stages of the loading cycle.
The demands for greater ranges, firing with varied ammunition, shorter loading cycles etc. place steadily growing demands on the loading function of the type of weapon under consideration here.
At long ranges, for example of the order of 40 kilometers and longer, noise levels become very high (185 dB), with the result that the gun crew cannot be stationed in the vicinity of the weapon at the moment of firing without running the risk of serious injury.
Consequently, there is a need for fully automatic loading systems which ensure reliable and safe loading cycles. The requirement is then that salvos of a given number of rounds be fireable. After firing, rapid re-deployment of the artillery weapon (or the MBT) must be possible, as well as efficient reloading.
The propellant charges for long ranges take up a considerable amount of space in and around the weapon and it is also a matter of some urgency that the fully automatic loading system does not encroach upon the elevation and traversing angle fields of the weapon, or impair the manoeuvreability of the weapon in the field etc.
The largest charges for weapons of the type contemplated here may be designed with large diameters, which gives rise to problems in the ramming and extraction or sweeping functions.